Chris was tall, beautiful short cropped black hair, and fair skin with those lovely blue eyes so reminiscent of her brother's. She was older than me, I think, maybe by a few years and she'd obviously spent a fair amount of time in the California sun. There were wrinkles in her face, tiny lines that heralded the onset of middle age far before their time.

            "So, Rafe says you're his neighbor? And you're a doctor, huh? How do you like that?"

            I smiled at her as she opened a drawer in a closet dresser, and held up a suit to see if it would fit me. She discarded it quickly and reached for another.

            "I love it." I said, in my polite doctor voice. She didn't really want to know, but was being polite herself. I could do chit chat.

            "Rafe says you're a Mormon. My dad is a Mormon too, did you know?" She acted all nonchalant with this question, but I sensed a hesitancy and anticipation about her now.

            "I am a Mormon." I said easily.

            "Practicing?"

            "Uh, yeah." I smiled as she handed me a plain black two piece. I asked if there was a one piece, and she instantly said no.

            "Shorts and a tank?"  I hoped, and she shook her head.

            "Om...." I went to the drawer and started rummaging in it myself. She stopped me with a hand on my arm. Her eyes were carefully guarded, but determined.

            "You're very pretty, but you're not fooling me."

            "Seriously?" I laughed, straightening up. "I'm not trying to fool you, Chris." My smile was still genuine, but now I felt completely on the spot and uncomfortable.

            "We aren't going to come back to church, Aubrey. So get that out of your head, right now. Rafe is completely anti-Mormon, as are the rest of my family. If he says he is not--- well--- he is. I don't see how you can say you're practicing anyway, if you're with Rafe."

            I swallowed wondering where she was going with that, and how much Rafe would want me to divulge to her. He'd never even said he had a sister.

            "Because Rafe sleeps around. He's got a new girl practically every week or so. They don't last long. He does it because sometimes his gender identity is questioned, and he wants everyone to know he is one hundred percent-----" She stopped mid-sentence and looked down, I turned quickly to see who was behind me and found Rafe standing there, one arm up in the doorway, his eyes flat on his sister, and his insincere smile cool.

            I turned wide eyes on him. "Chris was just getting me a suit."

            In Rafe's other hand was a pair of boy's shorts and a t-shirt. He'd come to give them to me--- knowing. He was in swimming trunks already, his tattoos openly displayed in the light of day once again for my perusal, and once again, I actually did check them out-- either because in this foreign setting they were the only thing half way familiar-- or to get away from the thoughts  that his sister didn't like me-- I don't know.

            "One hundred percent what--- sis?" He stared at her mockingly, having heard every word she'd said.

            She fumbled with the drawer and then slammed it shut. Her eyes pierced mine and then looked directly at him. "The thing is--- you should know--- our family is anti-Mormon for one big reason and it is the reason why we will never come back to church. It is because---"

            I was looking quickly back and forth from Rafe to Chris and I saw him give her the cut across the neck sign--- stop talking.

            She might have, but he blew her a kiss as he pressed the clothes into my hands and began to pull me out the door.

            "How do you feel about gays?" Chris blurted and I saw Rafe's eyes roll and his head fall back in exasperation.

            I turned back to her and shrugged. "I love all God's children."

            "You're a liar then. You can't be a member of the church and love gays."

            "Excuse me? I can be a member of the church and love whatever I want. No one tells me who and what to love."

            Chris flung up her hand dramatically. "That would explain why you're sleeping with him and still consider yourself an active member. You don't have a clue."

            I laughed. "You have no idea what I believe, Chris, why are you attacking me?"

            But Rafe was sputtering in rage that his sister was accusing us of sleeping together when she really had no idea. He let go of the back of my shirt and took a menacing step toward her effectively cornering her against the wall and the closet door.

            "We're not sleeping together, Chris, not that it's any of your business." He pointed a finger at her in anger.

            "Stop it. It isn't her business and you don't have to explain, Rafe. I'm fine. And I can defend myself if need be." I turned to walk out the door and Chris shot another parting volley at me.

            "Our brother, Daniel, died--- killed himself because your stupid Bishop took away his recommend after he went on a mission and everything."

            I turned stricken eyes on Rafe. My mouth formed a horrified oh, and I leaned a little toward him. His face was impassive and he wouldn't look at me.

            "Our brother Lance is gay--- openly gay, and Rafe supports LGBT groups and even posed for LGBT magazine covers. We wholeheartedly support the gay community and won't even patronize establishments that don't support gays. We are pro-gay in our family, Aubrey, and we don't like Mormons."

            She pushed past both of us yelling for her kids to get out of the pool. Her temper had been lost somewhere back along Rafe's eye rolling contest and she was ready to storm out. Figured she must get that genetically. There were loud protests coming from the pool and Grandma saying she'd watch the kids, when Chris yelled for the whole neighborhood to hear that I was a Mormon whore and a bitch and her kids couldn't remain in the same house as me.

            I blinked long and slow. I felt my throat choking up on a wordless angry sob, and then turned my face away from Rafe and the pool. Grandma won--- Chris couldn't stand another second and the front door slammed behind her, and then again as her husband followed her out.

******